The day witnessed the 40th Jatra festival organised by Uttarayan, a small organisation in Nabagram near the suburban town Konnagar held recently.
Every year, the members of Uttarayan stage a ‘Jatra’ which attracts hundreds of people from the surrounding areas. Well-known playwright, Bhairab Gangopadhyay’s family drama “Bouma tomar paye namoshkar” (I bow at your feet, daughter-in-law) was staged this year. Yes, the name’s amusing, but there are even weirder titles of ‘Jatras’.
After paying tribute to ‘Jatralakshmi’ Bina Dasgupta, renowned actress of the jatra world who passed away recently, the drama finally started at 8:15 p.m. with the frequently changing colours of lights, a band playing in the background and the typical jatra overacting on the stage. But truly, it was a show to watch.
More than 500 people thronged to watch the performance and needless to say, this year’s programme too was a grand success.
The actors received a standing ovation when the ‘Jatra’ ended at 11:05 p.m. Kudos to Uttarayan for their valiant efforts to keep this beautiful aspect of our culture alive. Here’s wishing them even more success in the future.